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Got someone in your life who’s addicted to exercise? Someone who proselytizes the active lifestyle? There are so many fitness-related items out there it’s hard to separate the muscular wheat from the sweaty chaff. But we’ve selected a few of our favourite items you could get your fit friend, if you can catch them.
Merrell Road Glove
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about this whole “barefoot running thing”. It’s not just a craze; it’s changing the way a lot of people run, and mostly for the better (though you do have to be very careful and work into it slowly). We’ve been testing minimalist running shoes all year, and the Merrell Road Gloves have been king since the spring. £70 from Amazon
Nike+ Kinect Training
It’s winter time, and most places in the UK are cold and horrible right now. Maybe you don’t want to run around outside and get frostbite on your lungs. We hear that. Nike+ Kinect Training for the Xbox 360 is a pretty awesome way to work out without leaving your living room. Nike worked closely with Microsoft so the Kinect sensor can detect little nuances and the digital coaches can keep an eye on your form. £30 from Amazon
Sennheiser PMX 685i
We’ve been sticking all kinds of thing in our ears this year. Some of these things even play music! Earbuds for running have some special requirements. They’ve got to stay in place. They’ve got to be comfortable. They have to be tough. And, of course, they have to sound great. The Sennheiser PMX 685i are handily the best running earbuds we’ve ever tried. (this’ll have to be an IOU, because they aren’t out until January 7th, 2013, but they’re worth the wait). £55 from Amazon
Camelbak M.U.L.E. Hydration Pack
Y’know what you need when you’re working out? Water. Or you will die. The best way to ensure that you stay hydrated as you exercise is to make it super convenient, so you don’t even have to think about it. Hands-free systems like Cambak’s are perfect for long bike rides, hikes, and even runs. The M.U.L.E. is more for a long day hike. It can hold 3 litres of water and a metric tonne of gear. £80 from Amazon
Yonanas
Diet is easily one of the most important components of fitness. Just because you work out a lot, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a sweet tooth. Ice cream has that high-carb high-fat one-two punch to the gut. Y’know what’s better? Fruit. And it doesn’t have to be boring. The Yonanas machine (which has the worst name ever) turns frozen fruit into gelato-like soft-serve. It’s incredibly delicious, super easy, and healthy, too. We’re in love with this thing. £55 from Amazon
iFitness Ultimate II Race Belt
Runners (and bikers) need a place to keep their important items like keys, phone, ID, cash, nutrition gels, etc. This specialized bumbag keeps all of that stuff from bouncing around as you run, and it’s water resistant to keep your buckets of sweat off your valuables. And, of course, it gives you a nice attachment point for your race number. £26 from DMP
Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Somebody you know into triathlons? Get them this and they’ll love you forever. The Forerunner 910XT is simply the ultimate triathlon watch. It’s GPS enabled and tracks your time, distance, pace, speed, and elevation. Heartrate too, via accessories. It can even count your strokes while swimming and help your form. Expensive, but awesome. £260 from Amazon
Fitbit One
Fitness doesn’t just happen when you’re at the gym or going for a run. Simply moving around throughout the day gets you some exercise, but how much exactly? There are a lot of activity trackers out there now, but the Fitbit One has an altimeter, so it doesn’t just count steps, but also floors climbed. Sleep-tracking, Bluetooth syncing, and even a silent alarm. Plus, it’s tiny and non-obtrusive. £80 from OutdoorGB
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Those Sennheisers are good. They pack a mean bass.
Interested in the Merrells, I’ve always liked their shoes and I’ve been running with Vibram fivefingers for a few months now, which are ace but the scare the shit out of children.
Plus and plus for the five finger…
I’ve been interested in the five fingers for ages, just quite a lot of cash to hand over for some shoes as I’m not sure how they’ll fit. How do you find them? Do your feet get tired much? Last question, my toes are not quite normal – the last two are a bit smaller, when I tried some on my pinkie toe and his neighbour didn’t fill the shoe toes, do you fill al toes? It kind of put me off buying any.
I love them. You can check the Vibram website for sizing, they have instructions on how to choose a good fit (probably half a size smaller than your normal shoe size). I got a size too big initially, had half a cm of toe space, the should be as snug as possible, not sure if your toe size would be an issue, there are grips on the bottom of the toe that would probably mitigate any space in the toes.
They are great to run in, they feel super light and you can feel the texture of whatever you run on. I’d always had issues with shin splints and over pronation, but the fivefingers have you running on your toes. You run silently in them too, which is a bit unnerving for anyone you pass on the street.
After the first few runs, my feet felt like they’d had a work out. The only issue I’ve had is a bit of tiring on the arch of the foot, I’m alternating between the fivefingers and my normal trainers to build up the strength.
I do feel like I’ve inherited new muscles in my feet and, weirdly, I feel like I’m not bouncing around nearly as much. It just feels like gliding along now and it means I’m much less knackered as a result. Maybe that would’ve happened anyway, but I reckon taking away the shock absorbers has made my feet and ankles learn to do it properly.
Cheers thanks for that,
maybe I’ll treat myself after Christmas. Also apparently its not just kids, at least half of my work colleagues are freaked out by them.
Yeah, there’s no getting away from that. I got mine around August and have run mostly in the evenings or at night. At the weekend I went running in the daylight and noticed at least three people glancing at my feet.
It’s probably exacerbated by the fact I have giant broad hobbit feet – but that’s one of the main reasons I got them.
Oh yeah, which type did you get?
On the rare occasion I see someone with them I maybe caught staring but only cause I wanted some for ages.
Apart from the dodgy toes, my feet are long and really narrow which also doesn’t help fitting any shoes.
I got the KSOs – I found the product range a bit bewildering, but the KSOs seem to be the standard all purpose shoe. They aren’t as easy to put on as I thought they would be, I guess because the fit is tight and you have to direct five toes to their individual compartments, but once they’re on, they’ feel amazing.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-KSO-Mens.htm
My advice would be that if you plan to do trail walking or running, you might need something with a thicker sole like the TrekSport. I run trails in the summer, but after a couple of long runs on rough stony ground, I found the soles of my feet sore. You can feel all of the little stones through the KSO and, maybe my feet will strengthen over time – that’s what I hear – but right now a few miles on stony ground would hurt.